Abstract Book of the 11th International Academic Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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AI, New Media and the Integration of Physical Texts in the University Humanities Classroom: A Case Study of Nigerian Universities
Emmanuel Ezimako Nzeaka
ABSTRACT:
Numerous facets of our social existence have been diminished due to the unparalleled technological advancements of the internet and new media, particularly in university education. The traditional practice of reading physical textbooks in university classrooms is under threat from the rise of online learning and the use of AI. To enhance reading culture in the era of new media dominance, the primary objective of this research is to discuss how reading texts in classrooms can be integrated with AI and students’ handheld media devices, incorporating them into teaching. This holds practical significance because students now depend on and prefer handheld internet devices and eBooks for their studies, indicating that Nigeria’s university book reading culture is declining due to the proliferation of new media in the educational system. Hence, this study assesses the usefulness and viability of utilising physical textbooks alongside portable media devices during teaching and learning. This research will be elucidated using Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST), employing qualitative content analysis of similar texts. AST explains how information technologies are integrated into a work environment. It will investigate whether the substantial reliance on social media in the classroom has impaired the reading habits of university students. This study aims to assist academics and educators in consciously incorporating social media into conventional physical classroom activities to counteract the trend of declining reading ethos on college campuses. To foster text-student interactions and reverse the decline in reading culture, particularly in the humanities.
Keywords: Internet, classroom, artificial intelligence, university